Day 8 - Rome - A Study in People

Leonardo DaVinci was a master of all things - inventor, painter, sculpture, philosopher, doctor, sociologist. Like my man Leo, I too am a aficionado of sorts of all things related to people - their behavior, mannerisms, dress, overall comportment. While Leo mastered the art of the sketch, it was just me and my trusty camera and notepad today, set loose on the streets of Rome to take in the spectacle.

I started my day in the Piazza Spagna, home of the Spanish Steps, some of the best views of the city and the best Shopping in Rome - Gucci, Versace, Prada, Fendi. Clothes that cost more than most people's mortgage, Jewelry that costs more than their entire house, and Purses and Accessories so achingly beautiful that they induce a physical pain in your stomach and cause your credit cards to want to leap out of your wallet and make their way back stateside.

And the people - mind you its 80 degrees, overcast, muggy and drizzly - but the amount of overpriced denim, stiletto heels (an art form within itself as the streets are uneven cobblestones), expensive loafers, layers upon layers of fine silk and linens, topped off with enough bling to make a thug blush. I observed one American couple in Louis Vuitton - obvious LA Types, where the man dismissively commented how there was "nothing new in here" as he pivot turned on his slick alligator skinned loafer, only to be stopped by his bleach blond obviously enhanced aging barbie doll of wife to get the credit card to pay for "this one little thing" (a beautiful new LV purse in cranberry red patent leather). He then TOSSED THE BLACK AMERICAN EXPRESS at her with disdain and made his way out the door assumingly to somewhere much more "up on the latest fashion trends". Standing there in my DSW shoes and Target sundress all I could do was chuckle to myself at the absurdity of it all. And they say Americans are ugly...I just have NO IDEA where they get that from.

Hungry after my (window) shopping escapades, I found this glorious little sidestreet cafe to have a late lunch. Here I met an interesting trio of people:

• An American family where the teenage daughter exclaimed after getting her overpriced pizza and coke "Mom, you're stupid. Dad, but I WANT to pierce my septum. It's SO cool"
• An American woman on holiday with her Italian stepmother (married her father when they were both 80 before he passed). When the conversation turned to the stepmother's seemingly depressed native Italian sister, the feisty and fantastic woman replied, "The best way to fight depression is to drink stronger drinks," as she made the requisite Italian gestures. HA! My kinda woman. And they say Romans are dry...
• A couple from Geneva, of Finish and Bolivian birth (further proving that 40% of the people in Geneva are not FROM Geneva - and they think its bad in California) speaking Italian. They were on holiday for a friends wedding and to escape their children about to be released from school for the summer.

Throughout lunch, I observed countless Italians on their lunch break - strolling the streets, maintaining the coolest of aires in their expensive silk suits and skirts, carrying gorgeous leather handbags, munching on a panini and cafe, oblivious to the masses of toursists in their fanny packs and American Baseball team hats. After 2,000 years of forced integration thanks to the countless omnipotent Caesars, I guess they are used to it.

One would be remiss in discussing the people of Rome without commenting on the hoards of teenagers from every corner on the planet (but looking amazing homogeneous), of which I was once one, so many years ago (1986 to be exact). In their trendy clothes (circa 1980), with bored expressions, more interested in each other and where their next meal or snaked beer was coming from than the eras of history laid out before them. They crawl over fountains, cut off cars, clog lines to museums, vandalize - but yet, there is something in their energy and zest for life that makes them attractive and just fascinating. They appreciate LIFE as a whole, not just what it has to offer them materialistically, but instead a simple appreciation of the single moment in which we are living.

We could all learn a little something from that.

So I ended my day much as it started, at the top of the Piazza de Poppolo (at the end of the Via del Corso which connects the Piazza de Poppolo and the Piazza Spagna) overlooking the whole of Rome and its people in all of her glorious splendor.

Finally, I just wanted to send a little shout out to all of you who have emailed, texted or I have even chatted with during this trip - your words of encouragement and love, your expressions of how you are living vicariously through me or motivated by my experiences, touches me more than you know. Being a solo traveler definitely has it perks (no, what do YOU want to do today) but also has its quiet, lonely moments too. But I know, you are all here with me, either through my writing or through the loving energy that we as friends and family share even half a world away. I LOVE YOU ALL MAN, almost as much as I am learning to love me. And THAT is what I learned about me.